OTEC - An emerging program of significance to the marine community

The U. S. Energy Research and Development Administration has established an objective to conduct a commercial demonstration of the Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) concept in 1984. Lockheed has been a major contributor in this field since 1974. This paper discusses the ERDA program plan leading to the demonstration, some commercialization considerations, and two of the major steps in the plan - OTEC-1 and OTEC-100. Also discussed are cycle efficiencies and several key marine technology issues. These include biofouling and its potential impact on heat exchanger performance, the cold water pipe - OTEC´s major ocean structure - and the heavy marine construction aspects of an OTEC plant.